Field Announced for 5th Edition of Festival

Gettysburg, PA- The Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival announces its field for the 5th Annual event which will take place July 19-20 at the Schroeder Family Farm in Gettysburg in 2014. Once again 11 clubs from the region and 7 national clubs from all over the country will converge on Gettysburg in July to show the public what a 19th century base ball event looked like in Adams County.

“We are really excited to announce this year’s field. It once again has some of the most storied 19th century base ball clubs in America competing over 2 days.” said Bruce Leith, President of the Eclipse Base Ball Club of Elkton who is the organizer of the event. Something new added this year includes games not just from 1864 but from many years from 1839 to 1891. Fans will get to see the progression of the game from its earliest start to almost what it looks like today.

The clubs competing this year include: the Providence Grays from Rhode Island; the New York Gothams, the New York Mutuals The Brooklyn Eckfords and the Brooklyn Atlantics from New York; the Flemington Neshanock from New Jersey; the Philadelphia Athletics, Harrisburg Keystones, and Pittsburgh Franklins from Pennsylvania; the Talbot Fair Plays and Elkton Eclipse from Maryland; the Lewes Base Ball Club and the Milford Excelsiors from Delaware; the Forest City Base Ball Club of Cleveland, The Columbus Capitals and the Cincinnati Red Stockings from Ohio; the Saginaw Old Golds and the Mt Clemens Regulars from Michigan.

If clubs are interested in competing in the event in 2015, the organizers are already taking spots for the 6th edition. So far the Northville Eclipse from Michigan and Fulton Mules from Ohio are already on board. Clubs will play 4 games over 2 days chiefly against clubs they have either never seen or have not played for some time.